One More Stop

[glitters]

((LOLOL Seigmand, Jasmine, and Andy if he wants in? ))


Recently Jasmine hadn't moved too far away from Crepusculum. Many people were meeting her, her family and friends and because she and her mother were known well enough in the area there were plenty of jobs for her to do as well--couldn't hurt to make even a little money before the adventure continued, right?

Finding a little time to herself finally she stepped off of the path that lead up to the mountain, wandering through what she'd always known to be probably the most beautiful patch of flowers that grew at the foot of the mountain. She sighed deeply as she started picking at some of them, the very act of spending this little time in the afternoon sun like this almost like a haunting memory of what was just a normal day for her nearly a year ago. Sometimes it was hard to believe yet that the house wasn't where it was anymore by the lake, and that her mother was never going to be there again to wait for her return.

Jasmine took another deep breath, feeling that slight twisting of pain in her heart again and she tried to tell herself to let it go; she had a job she had to do and her mother would have greatly appreciated that she carried on strongly afterall.

[Seigmand Dezmar]

From the distant horizon of where Jasmine so gently moved about the mountain base a distant rumbling could be heard. The noise grew and from its direction a tumbling mound of dirt tore across the plain, leaving a deep gouge in the surface. As it neared a figure could me made out among the mound; a hulking form akin to a golem that rode the mound with stride after stride, like it was skating on the ever rolling ball of dirt. The being's attention seemed fixated entirely on Jasmine, and as it neared the mound seemed to merely slip into the earth while the golem like being landed before her. It looked all around, searching silently for what only he knew. At last he turned to her and with a single sharp motion forced the stone skin down to earth, revealing a stoic looking Seigmand Dezmar before her.

"Jasmine, it's been a while." Ah, and a long time it had been indeed. He remembered after so many failures with the Heroes he had found hope in her. Before he had been grateful for her naivety and trusting nature. He had laid so many plans in his mind before of how he'd use her against the Sumata. That was the old Seigmand, the one who saw the traits that had brought her to trust him as weakness. He came to her, having found her at last for a wholly different reason.

"Forgive me if I forgo the stock pleasantries, but I come before you because I need your help. I take it you're still as ready as ever to help this world?" There was a difference in his voice then how he'd spoke with her before. Though the rigid formality and stoic tone remained, his usual harshness had been dulled.

[glitters]

Jasmine couldn't say she'd ever seen a mountain do that before. It spooked her at first, hearing the rumbling and then seeing the rock creature move towards her at such a great speed. She hadn't been too sure if she should have ran or tried to attack it if it got too close. Luckily Seigmand revealed himself just before she had to make such a decision.

Where something seemed definitely different about Seigmand's air, Jasmine wasn't sure if it was just the man himself or if it was the very changes she had taken in the few past months that made him seem different. The girl was considerably calmer and more confident now, she had her grandmother to thank teaching her as many of their spiritual ways as she could; through many of her teachings she found an inner peace...oh god, now she was starting to think like her grandmother, this was bad.

"King Dezmar, it has been a long time," she answered softly, running her finger gently over the petals of one of the wild flowers she'd just picked, "I've done a lot recently to be ready to help Allorum, just as my mother instructed me to do. What is it that you need?"

[Seigmand Dezmar]

Seigmand took note of Jasmine's calmness. He wasn't surprised she had appeared intimidated by his covert form's appearance, but he was amused by how little she even seemed to be bothered by him. He chuckled to himself, and brought out his compendium. "You've come a long way Jasmine. You've grown much from the suspicious girl I travelled along when I first met you and Andy. I'm glad I allied myself with you."

Making a quick note under the info he had on her he snapped the book closed and held his hand out to her. "I fear the others may be watching me. Take my hand. I know of somewhere we can go to speak."

[glitters]

Jasmine looked at Seigmand's hand then up to his face. He was worried people were watching him?

There really wasn't a lot of room for thought on this, aside from what if he was lying? Playing ally until he had her alone?
Well, he had her alone now as far as both of them knew, aside from paranoia that led them to believe these 'others' were watching them.

In either case, she wouldn't know for sure until she followed along, right? And as such Jasmine reached out with her small hand and grabbed for Seigmand's without a word.

[Seigmand Dezmar]

Without a word he took her hand in his and stomped on the ground. With a dampened thud the ground pulled away from where they were standing, dropping them a few feet deep into the ground. The earth held them in a enclosed orb of open space as the sunlight was swallowed. The darkness and cramped spaces were nothing special to Seigmand, but it occurred to him for a moment that Jasmine would be terrified by it. "Sorry, I'll make this quick." He muttered to her.

Only a minute or so later a hole was punched through the ground leading to a clearing fully enclosed by a dense forest. Seigmand urged the ground up till the hole was filled and he and Jasmine stood in fresh air once again. He looked the place over, caught for a spell in old memories. The grassy clearing had patches of dug up ground, and moss had begun to grow over clumps of jagged rock that seemed to have risen from the ground at random.

"It's funny you know? The way history repeats itself I mean. When I had first wished to gain an ally with the Heroes, I met with you and Andy under a false name. The night we met I brought him here to this very clearing, away from any prying eyes. I'm sure he'd told you by now that we battled that night. I sought to test him, and while he was strong in combat and will, he could not trust me." Seigmand's eyes met with Jasmine's and he drew out his staff.

"Today Jasmine I've brought you here for the same reason. What I have to say will come after, but I need to know you're strong enough to survive what I will ask. Please, come at me with everything you have." Seigmand took his stance and waited for her to act.

[glitters]

Jasmine stayed where she was, completely confused with Seigmand's request. He wanted her to fight him? What for? And why endure the same test as Andy? She wasn't a warrior like him, she wasn't anything close to being strong like he was.

"I...don't think I understand," she answered slowly, "why battle? Or rather, why me battling?"

It's not like she couldn't do it, she'd learned offensive spells as of late as well as her spirit medium training. It was all a matter of why would she fight when she travelled with people who were more than willing to step into battle themselves. She could always aid in the battle of course, but she was never a primary warrior in anything.

[Seigmand Dezmar]

"For many reasons Jasmine, and yet they all factor back into one, to see if you are prepared for the final confrontation. I don't care if you are as strong as Andy, or if your attacks can kill a Sumata. What I need to see is the same force of will that I've seen in many of the other Heroes so far. I want to make sure that when that time comes you will not hesitate, and for that I wish to spar with you."

He suspected that she would resist him initially. Jasmine had yet to display the wish to fight. Though he'd seen her willingness and skill in the healing arts he knew it would not be enough to take her to the final battle. "This is as much for you and me as it is for the rest of your friends Jasmine. If you are anything less than totally prepared to fight to the point of killing your enemy you could cost a teammate their life. You could cost Andy his life."

Seigmand's tone was harsh, almost cruelly blunt. He wanted, no, needed her to understand why this fight was important. As he watched her closely, he was sure his words would drive home to her.

[glitters]

Jasmine bit her lip at Seigmand's words, she hadn't liked hearing anything like that especially the notion that her failure to act at any time could hurt Andy--even worse, kill him.
He could say what he wanted though, she knew better. She knew way better that when Andy was in trouble she'd act without any kind of hesitation. She did it once, afterall, when he and her had first encountered Zelos. Granted, it could have been avoided or delayed had Jasmine knew then what she knew now but that was something out of her control back then. Andy nearly died that day but she was quick to look after him, her first real near-death patient to care for; the whole time she'd been scared that he'd die during her treatment, but in the end that very fear was what made her the healer she was today.

In the end it seemed like she was very much like her grandmother, like her mother. She couldn't stand to fail. Jasmine took a glance at her hand with the spiritual symbol she'd embedded into it, then. She'd done that, too, for Andy and her friends. She accepted her body be open to the spiritual world to communicate with her gods and even channel spirits when the time came for it. This very act alone, according to her grandmother, killed many people who simply were not strong enough in mind and magic to control what was going on with themselves and the spirits that tried to invite themselves into the mediums' bodies. Keeping this in mind Jasmine was grateful that she had her grandmother to show her how to survive and conquer what came her way.

Seigmand didn't know any of this, but he probably didn't care. He wanted the very same as her grandmother did--he wanted to see her results rather than hear them.

"It's probably not enough to simply say but be assured that if it came down to it I'd have to take my part and destroy anything that was going to hurt Andy," her polite front fell in response to Seigmand's tone, leaving her with only that bitterly sounding girl he'd had first met at the Loque house, "he's determined to protect me at any cost, but when it comes down to it he's one of the ones destined to save Allorum, not me. If one of has to die..."

She didn't have to say any more, she knew Seigmand was more than smart enough to get the idea.

"...is there anything in particular you're looking for me to hit with?"

Because she also knew that if he was sounding similar to her grandmother that he wouldn't let her go that easily. Training was training and talking was talking, end of story.

[Seigmand Dezmar]

Seigmand smiled reassuringly. "If you truly feel that way Jasmine then you won't have to make that choice. Still as a wise man once said the best way to understand someone, and yourself, is to enter the battlefield."

"Come at me anyway you want Jasmine. If it will help, I want you to imagine me as one of the final Sumata you will fight. You stand in my way of slaying the gods, perhaps even the very ones that grant you your powers. Everyone else is too involved in their own battles to do anything for you. There is no one to help you, and no one for you to help. Don't be afraid to strike to kill. I promise you I won't be holding back either."

[glitters]

Jasmine bit her lip, she wasn't looking forward to any of this. Granted, she'd been battling a lot more as of late so why did it matter that she did one more practice one--it certainly was a lot better than being thrust into a real one.

Bringing her hands down to her side she tried to imagine the scenario Seigmand laid out for her. No one for her to help, no one to help her; Andy wasn't there but in that case she'd pray to everything that he was going to be alright, same for her father. The Sumata member before her was going to be the one who destroyed the twilight gods and without them the training she'd been enduring to be a servant to them would be lost, her life without spiritual purpose or guidance but the certainty that her mother would be tortured in Heaven. It was these thoughts that only now came to her mind as Seigmand made them that scared her, if they failed she had no clue how she was going to live the rest of her life if she did at all.

It seemed to her then that Annabelle had the right idea the whole time, telling Jasmine to strengthen up and reminded her constantly 'we are not failures.' They had to prove that.


Jasmine's spell repertoire wasn't very large offensively but it was quickly growing. The first one that came to her head was a simpler one and with it she did small hand signals to her side, still practicing how to do them subtly and mumbled the incantation to herself. In a short moment a space in the air between Seigmand and Jasmine started to move, small waves appearing and circling for only a half second before a small burst of fire shot from it and towards Seigmand.

It wasn't as impressive as her grandmother's unfortunately, not to mention the particular spell had become in the years an at-will one for her grandmother. Jasmine was only happy to try to do it, though.


((*pokes* D: sweetie, I'm sorry if I'm bsing some of her spells - I'm trying to keep them all relatively the same, same with Annabelle's but I still have to go write out their lists of spells and the like >>;;; ))

[Seigmand Dezmar]

Seigmand stood firm as he forced a wave of earth to spill from the ground, protecting his front as the fireball struck with a small explosion against it. As the wave passed behind him into the ground a pleased smile covered his face. "A good start Jasmine, very good. But a single attack like that will serve only to pester them. An attack must carry purpose behind it, or else it is merely a ripple in the air. Now again, and this time I want you to shout out your purpose behind your spell."

Seigmand whirled his staff around before bracing it tightly in both hands. "Here, let me show you what I mean." His foot rose up and crashed down, and as a barrage of tiny stones fired out against a distant tree he shouted, "Distraction!" No sooner did he finish speaking that his staff was hurled directly towards the base of the tree. "Binding!" Upon striking the roots his geomancy energy released at it's base and caused the ground around it to rise up and surround it. Pivoting on his front foot he spun around and shouted, "Kill!" as his hands shoved forward, conjuring a stone spike from the ground that harpooned the tree right at it's core.

Breathing deeply he wiped his brow and turned back to Jasmine, looking satisfied with his demonstration. "If power is not on your side Jasmine, you can always rely on your mind to out-strategise your foes. When one single spell is not strong or fast enough to hit, you must use them in combination to throw off your foe." He gestured to her to follow suit as he sunk back into his stance.

[glitters]

Jasmine tensed incredibly at the demonstration Seigmand had put on. It was indeed impressive and nothing she would have thought to ever do herself; she'd only ever used a single spell for anything. Then again, she'd only ever really known healing and neutral spells to begin with.

'Strategy,' Jasmine thought, 'layering attacks...Grandmother did say to use whatever I have; even at my fullest potential I can't compare in power to some people.'

Feeling like she was understanding she tried to piece together a few of the spells she did know and was confident enough in using to throw at Seigmand. Most of them were forms of bursts and flames unfortunately, nothing that could really bind or kill anyone--unless they were mortals who had no magic whatsoever of course.

She did have something unique she could share, though. Realizing this she attempted for the first time a combination of spells. Jasmine's hand was tucked in just a little in her long sleeve, giving her a bit of an advantage while she summoned one spell through a series of precise movement of her fingers.

"Jeil'zu na flay haute mok ne," Jasmine said her second spell aloud, finishing it only seconds before the first cast by her hand. The sky above lit up only for a short moment before a rainfall of razor-like blades of light showered down onto Seigmand.

Feeling like she was already on a roll, as Jasmine finished her first gesture in one hand she switched to the other and performed the very same spell - as the blades fell from the sky hot bursts of fire exploded nearly at random--unpredictable in location as well as timing. Again, simple spells, brought about in a different way following Seigmand's teaching.

"I apologize for not telling you my intention as I cast them," Jasmine spoke between fire spells, "at the moment a lot of my more powerful spells actually do require my being able to recite the incantation for them--smaller ones require nothing but my own will and little effort from my hands and wrists."

[Seigmand Dezmar]

Seigmand stood silent, his senses perked as he waited for whatever she was performing to take effect. A strange language? Magic of course, but without recognizing the words it could be anything. Suddenly he caught something in his eye. As his head tilted upwards the rain of shining blades swarmed down on him. He stamped hard on the ground again, and rose his hands up as another wave of earth swept over him to block the attacks from above. Alright, but where's the follow up? I don't hear anything from...

A blasting sound deafened the area around him. The stone shield he brought up cracked and spewed at Seigmand from the cannonball sized hole one of Jasmine's explosions left in it. "Crap!" Seigmand exclaimed as he dove out of the way, moving his arms dramatically in a sweep as he did so. What remained of the shield turned muddy and flowed seamlessly above him, offering Seigmand only partial cover from the hail of light. Yet as his body tucked up from the first blast he could feel the air around him shake with impending force, and had only the time to swathe his body in the mud before another blast sent his body tumbling away.

By the time he rose up and out of his stone cocoon the attack had ended. It cracked before shattering outwards like a frag grenade, and Seigmand stood up hesitantly, his clothes and skin charred and cut at points, having kept most of the damage to being merely cosmetic. The only thing that really hurt was his ego.

"Very very good Jasmine. A combination that forces your enemy into a total defence in order to protect themselves. By covering every angle, your foe will defend every angle." Seigmand held his hand out to indicate a time out while he pulled out his compendium. I've had it too easy. People screaming out their attacks like a children's game, I've forgot how to fight magic that doesn't have so easy a telltale. Seigmand scrawled a few short notes under a page he had marked for her long ago, then put the book away.

"Well Jasmine, I'd say you picked up on that a lot faster than I thought. Now, if you're ready I'd like to take this to the final step. Face me in combat Jasmine, and let's see how you handle yourself under pressure." Seigmand smiled at her, putting aside his own ego for now as he hoped she was ready now.

[glitters]

A real battle? Jasmine? Alone?

The last time she'd remembered actually facing a royal herself was when she ended up battling Trucido...herself. It wasn't a smart move at all, yet she let herself get angry enough with the things Trucido had said to her, blatantly suggesting Jasmine was nothing useful to Andy but was his cook and harlot. She met Brae there, the spirit she'd formed a mutual understanding with but since then had regrettably dismissed until further notice.

She then thought back to Earth. On Earth she'd had no choice but to find a way to fight Xisa. That was when she had her first channelling experience, back when she had no control over any of it.

That was of course back when her entire body and soul were in danger, she was lucky her grandmother had found her and taught her - her mother's spirit followed her just as her grandmother did, both actively protecting Jasmine until she was able to start doing things on her own.

Here Jasmine had the chance to actively put to use the very things she'd learned without having to worry about death lingering over her--she at least hoped so, she'd opened herself up enough to Seigmand to trust him that much.

'Brae...Brae, where are you at?' from within her mind Jasmine called out to the spirit she'd long before made friends with. She couldn't see Brae at all, but she could hear her quite clearly respond.

{Miss Loque, you've kept me waiting.}

'I know, and for that I apologize. I had to think about our work as a team and of you yourself as a person. In the end I've come to the conclusion that you died because you were hellbent and careless.'

{I beg your pardon? I said I made mistakes but...}

'But you let yourself get carried away. You can't lie to me or hide it no matter what you do. You said yourself you'd like to help me, through that you feel you've a chance at helping the world and avoiding the 'same mistakes' you'd made in the past--if you're to do that, you listen to me and keep my body from being as reckless as you were with your own. Understood?'

{......I understand. I apologize for my behaviour. I take it you are requesting assistance now?}

'Yes, that would be lovely if you don't mind.' Jasmine left her final thoughts with Brae and stared ahead at Seigmand with an oddly confident look on her face, something once unheard of for Jasmine.

"I'm ready if you are," she answered him firmly.